Icarus Dawnguard
"Twin of Dawn, guide my blade!"
Champion of Light
Icarus Dawnguard is a paladin of Yuna, the Twin of Dawn. The son of Orcus Dawnguard, grandmaster of the Order of Yuna, a knightly order of paladins dedicated to upholding law and justice, Icarus always had high expectations. His father expected him to grow into a perfect knight through ruthless training and relentless discipline, just as he had done. The cruel methods Icarus had suffered through turned him into a skilled master of the blade but also a traumatized young man who struggled to love himself. After being sent on a quest with his mentors, Leoric and Giselle, a tragedy of flame and betrayal overtook him — killing his mentors and leaving him with no memory of the event and a fear of fire. After this, he ran. He fled the order and considered himself a knight no longer. Considering himself a wandering blade trying to do what good he can with his skills. He eventually caught the eye of some shady people when he and other would-be adventurers were ambushed by slavers and brought to the Underdark.Fate-Touched
However, circumstances shifted, and fate had more in store for the young paladin. He and the other captured souls escaped the slavers and journeyed together through the Underdark. Carving a life out for themselves through battle and alliances, they became full-fledged adventurers, known as the Forgotten Fellowship. The Fellowship braved the Underdark, did battle with its darkest forces, fell a fearsome dragon, and returned to the Underdark with an army at their back to face their old foe one last time to decide the fate of Mara. In this respect, Icarus once again took up the blade not for his own gain or merely to get by but to serve Yuna as their champion of light. This leg of his journey, however, is yet to be written.Physical Description
General Physical Condition
As a knight who underwent brutal training at the tender mercy of Orcus Dawnguard, Icarus remains in peak physical conditioning. His constant adventuring and countless battles ranging from dragons to hags have kept him growing ever stronger.
Specialized Equipment
Dawnbreaker
Perhaps the only genuine remaining connection to his family, Icarus' signature blade, Dawnbreaker, was a family heirloom given to him by his father. While it is simply a well-made longsword with no particular arcane enhancement, the weapon has immense sentimental value to Icarus. Despite its simplicity, this was the blade that saw Icarus through his earliest trials, from the Order to his near-death experience to his nascent adventures with the Forgotten Fellowship.
Caelitis
The primary weapon of Icarus, Caelitis, is a longsword, though one wouldn't know it at first glance. When not in use, Caelitis is merely a handle and grip with no blade. However, upon speaking its command word, the blade made of pure radiant sunlight emerges in a burst of light to smite foes and protect the allies of Icarus. As a sword blessed by the Twin of Dawn themself, Caelitis has been the favored weapon of Icarus ever since he recovered it from a malevolent cult in the Underdark.
Bastelix
A sleek and fearsome-looking javelin enchanted with crackling, arcane lightning. Time has proven that Icarus is a warrior who prefers the frontline, crossing blades with any who would threaten the Forgotten Fellowship. However, time has also shown his means of dealing with foes at a range has been... limited. Never inclined to wield the bow, Icarus' ranged weapon of choice remains this arcanely empowered javelin, which screams with a thunderous roar when it is thrown, sending a bolt through any it wounds.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
The Son of Orcus
The tell-tale sign of being a member of the Dawnguard family was living in the shadow of Orcus Dawnguard. A brutal man with little room for conventional signs of love and affection, his abusive training methods and consolidation of power in the city's most prominent knightly order make him hard to truly get along with, to put it mildly. Though a valiant and stalwart knight by all accounts, his relationship with Icarus was marred by impossible expectations and vocal ridicule. The two spent nearly every single day training in the use of weapons, the protection of armor, and the conditions of the oath Icarus would come to swear as he came of age.The Young Knight
When Icarus came of age, he was set to become a true knight of the Order of Yuna. It may not have earned much affection from his father, but he felt the genuine love, appreciation, and respect of his fellow knights and the city he grew up in. From his cavalier mentors, Giselle and Leoric, to Nana Milda, who ran the local bakery, the young paladin was astonished to feel true respect for the first time in his life. It was around this time he began to come to terms with how unusual and unwanted the treatment from his father was. Nonetheless, he was the rising star of the Order of Yuna, clearly destined for greatness. Perhaps he even had the makings of a Grandmaster. Rising through the ranks at a pace similar to another knight, Sol of House Kazan, the son of Aloysius Kazan, Icarus enjoyed many accolades and opportunities to prove himself. This earned the ire not only of Sol and perhaps some other young knights who envied his success but even his own father. Despite the fact Orcus had gone out of his way to force Icarus to be a knight in his own image, seeing him gain renown by being a knight on his own path rather than the one Orcus paved for him boiled the blood of the Grandmaster. Something had to be done.
The Temple of the Seafarer
It was to be a quest like any other. As he was sent to Portus Cale on a mission with his mentors, Giselle and Leoric, Icarus and his companions descended into the depths of the ancient temple to investigate and root out a rumored evil of unknown origins. That night and its aftermath would inform the rest of Icarus' life, though regretfully, he remembers very little of it. He remembered the quest itself, receiving it, and being sent off by his father. He would recall facing fish-like abominations and scenes of battle with his beloved mentors at his side. The rest was a blur. A blast of fire. The death throes of Giselle and Leoric. The sight of a flaming figure. The cruel fade into near death. Icarus, to this day, does not know what truly happened that fateful night. All he knows is that something went wrong on his quest, and he was alone, blamed for the deaths of his companions, and forbidden to return to the Order of Yuna or his hometown of Veros.
Escape From the Underdark
After the tragedy at Portus Cale, Icarus was no longer truly a knight. However, he still longed to be one, in the sense of being a holy warrior who would help others and fight for justice. Finding himself a warrior with no name, doing what he could to get by and serve others as best he could, he found himself in an unfortunate situation. Captured with a few other fate-touched individuals by slavers transporting cargo to the Underdark, Icarus and his future companions were set upon by an ancient deep dragon, Grathniraak, the Lord of the Deep. Icarus and his companions were technically free from the slavers but sought refuge in the caverns of the Underdark. The captured companions decided to band together in this strange land to fight for their survival and a way back home. Over time, though, they became more than allies of circumstance but true friends, companions whose bond was forged in the embers of battle.Return to the Underdark
After fighting through cults, aberrations, and monstrosities, the Forgotten Fellowship overcame death of party members and every challenge the Underdark had thrown at them. They managed to escape and return to the surface from where most of them were originally from. Now faced with new threats of dragons, hags, and marauders, the Fellowship came to be reminded of an old enemy who had risen again to threaten not just them or their friends in the Underdark, but the whole of Mara. Drislara Torath, one of the Matriarchs of the Black City, had become mad with power and lusted for yet more of it. Collecting fabled rings associated with the Infernals, the Matriarch seeks to subjugate the realm of of the living under her control, through dark devotion to the Infernals and perhaps more. Assembling an army of allies, friends, and conditional supporters, the Forgotten Fellowship descended into the Underdark once more, but not as captured slaves, this time, they ventured as heroes, to vanquish their old nemesis once and for all. This chapter of Icarus' story, however, is yet to be written.Sexuality
Despite repeated advances of a particular male-presenting companion, Icarus has only ever demonstrated a romantic interest, however limited, in women. One woman, at least, seemingly had something resembling a tender relationship with Icarus before the two were separated by conflict and distance. Though it's just as possible that the knight-paladin has no interest in romance or sexuality whatsoever.
Mental Trauma
Due to the unclear events of the Temple of the Seafarer, when his time in the Order of Yuna came to a chaotic end, Icarus left the whole affair with an acute fear of fire. With burn scars marring parts of his face and body, anytime fire is empowered in strong bursts, especially through magic, his anxiety spikes.
Morality & Philosophy
An idealist through and through, Icarus has always been a voice of reason and morality, especially in the often morally dubious Forgotten Fellowship. As a paladin of the Twin of Dawn, Icarus' morality leaves little room for cynical pragmatism or a utilitarian sense of right and wrong. Rather, he prioritizes preserving life, personal freedom, and loyalty. However, that is not to say he hasn't had his own episodes of hypocrisy or failure to live up to his lofty ideals, such as occurred in the case of the revival of the ancient Nordic queen and her retinue, petrified for centuries by a basilisk. In this instance, the Forgotten Fellowship, including Icarus, gave the royal their word of safe passage, only to turn on them and slaughter them moments later without provocation, on suspicion of future political turmoil.
However, following a meeting with the very divines that govern reality, Icarus has strived to take his fragile oath more seriously and stand for the justice of his convictions whenever possible.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Icarus has been motivated by vastly different things at different stages in his life. In his youth, he was desperate to please his father, Orcus Dawnguard, and live up to his ideals and the expectations of the knights within the Order of Yuna. However, as he grew older and experienced firsthand where his father got him, that is to say nearly dead and banished from his Order, he felt a profound lack of motivation for a time. Despite his aptitude as a warrior and the strength of his ideals, he found himself with no true knightly calling nor companions to fight alongside. That changed during his journey to the Underdark and his aligning with the companions who would come to found the Forgotten Fellowship. While a ragtag rabble of adventurers at best, the Fellowship enabled Icarus to once again find a motivation — to protect others, to safeguard the light of Yuna, and to inspire those around him to feel hope, as he wished he could have all those years ago.
Virtues & Personality perks
The virtues of this paladin are many, but perhaps none are greater than his stalwart devotion to using his power for good. To protect others, to shield his allies from harm, and to vanquish evil where he can, Icarus, despite the occasional moral hiccup, has consistently fought to serve the light and has become one of the most powerful good-aligned paladins in the material plane. As well, his honesty, sense of justice, and compassion for other people, even those he may count as enemies, are noted virtues that earn him the respect of his peers.
Vices & Personality flaws
Icarus is deeply prone to self-loathing and being overly self-critical. Given the brutal nature of his upbringing and the fact that anything resembling love from his father was conditional on his performance, it's natural, albeit sad, that he has such a cripplingly poor view of himself. While not necessarily a flaw, some of his more jaded companions have scoffed at and even ridiculed his devotion to his ideals, seeing them as naive or even foolish.
Social
Contacts & Relations
The Forgotten Fellowship
The primary friends, companions, and allies of Icarus, the Forgotten Fellowship has seen the paladin through most of his adventures, and he remains with them even to this day. His relationship with each member, past and present, has unique circumstances and bonds. However, a few have become intimated with Icarus, positively or negatively.Lavender
Lavender, one of the personas of the changeling known as Orkidyas, has been a persistent challenge to Icarus in many ways. Starting out as a shady ally at best, the two have proven to be dedicated to each other in ways that seem to defy expectations. That said, Lavender has also found no small number of ways to earn the ire of Icarus, from the relatively harmless flirting to the more damaging lies, planting of items, and executive plans for the group without consulting.Tobey Crosse
Tobey has been a trusted ally of Icarus since the early days of his joining the Fellowship. Having joined under profoundly mysterious circumstances, the two became fast friends, partly due to being the only real voices of reason and consistent morality in a fellowship of cynics and outcasts. Over time, though, the two have had a relationship that could be reasonably considered somewhat strained due to Tobey's inclination to some of Lavender's less savory tendencies.Slymia
Slymia is a member of the Forgotten Fellowship who has found ways to shatter the trust and respect of practically every other member, finding perhaps no opposition fiercer than that of Icarus. The sentient slime has been through a lot with the group, including Icarus, from a blood pact gone awry to regularly invite fiendish forces into the group's confidence to the immense discomfort of Icarus. The two have a relationship that is estranged at best.Tempest
Perhaps the least clear of the relationships of the Fellowship would be Tempest and Icarus. The two share much in common, being holy men with rough childhoods, but there the similarities seem to end. While Icarus tries to steer the Fellowship in a more moral, or at least structured, direction, Tempest is among the group's most chaotic forces. Having recently formed a strong bond with Slymia, Tempest's antics have only become more reckless and unstable, creating a difficult tension with Icarus.Lissa
Even in the midst of war in the Underdark, friendship and perhaps romance find a way to blossom. A cleric of war, Lissa was part of a retinue of holy people saved by Icarus and the Forgotten Fellowship, about to be sacrificed by a cult dedicated to the Queen of Shadows. Grateful for her rescue, the two shared food and drink in the Second Tea Cup Corner Club in Var'da, the Black City as it is known in the Underdark. As it turns out, the two became good friends in the short time they knew each other before they became separated by distance. As two celestial worshipers in a strange land with strange gods, Lissa and Icarus forged a strong sense of respect and trust. The two may yet meet again, though only time will tell.Rime
As a prominent snow elven knight of the Order of the Blue Dragon, a knightly order stationed in Almavira, Rime and Icarus have much in common. A deep mutual respect initially sparked through similar professions but later forged in the fire of battling side by side in the Underdark; Rime is probably among Icarus' closest and most trusted friends.Sol
A noble of House Kazan, an old ally from the Order of Yuna, and perhaps the fiercest rival of Icarus' journey, the lives and journeys of Sol and Icarus have paralleled each other in many respects. Both were the sons of prominent knights in the Order; both were seemingly destined for greatness, and both ended up abandoning the Order after a string of misfortunes. However, while Icarus found himself lost and sought to join the radiant ranks of Yuna once again, Sol fell into the darkest depravities, dedicating his blade to Luna, the Twin of Dusk, and founding the Bloodguard, a group that only sought to wreak havoc for coin and butcher any necessary to secure their goals. The two crossed paths in the Underdark and have had several run-ins, some violent, others not. The true nature of their relationship is a matter of the future, as fate has yet to be written on the true end of these two. Inevitably, their paths will cross again.Family Ties
The Dawnguard Family
As his family by birth, not even the devastating and traumatic events of his youth can truly sever his ties to them. Though estranged since the tragedy, his memories of his family back in Veros remain intact. His relationship with his father, Orcus, was quite defining for much of his life. Characterized by fear and a desperate need for approval, which he would never truly find, his father remains a sore spot in the memories of his youth. While his relationship with his mother, Malina, was seemingly positive overall, as expected of any mother and son, the two had a few unspoken tensions that were never truly resolved. That all being said, Arienne, the younger sister of Icarus, was something of a thorn in the young knight's side, though not one he resented. Her teasing attitude and competitive, rebellious spirit always impressed Icarus, even if she managed to get on his nerves here and there. The two shared many fond, warm memories and a sibling bond that has unfortunately been interrupted by Icarus' exile from his hometown. Whether he may ever see any of these people again in the future remains unknown.Religious Views
The faith of Icarus has often been a tricky subject for the paladin to navigate. As a holy knight, his devotion to Yuna, the Twin of Dawn, was obvious and assumed. However, due to his own self-loathing, he has always struggled to see himself as truly worthy of the love and support of this ancient divine. While his belief in Yuna never wavered, his lack of belief in himself has, at times, hindered his ability to cultivate a healthy relationship with religion. That being said, later in his adventure, his bond with Yuna strengthened after meeting the deity in their august radiance in the Astral Hub, along with many other gods present. The meeting and promise of support reignited Icarus' faith, not only in Yuna but in himself and in the ideals he spent his youth forming. It is also worth noting that Luna, the Twin of Dusk, has made several attempts to tempt Icarus into a pact, a sense of devotion, really, anything at all. These have all failed.
Social Aptitude
Icarus is quite modest and buttoned-up, unlike some of his more rowdy and plainspoken companions. A paladin like those in the chronicles, he tends to behave respectfully and is rarely seen acting rudely, even to people he dislikes. Although, he has demonstrated a tendency to be fairly shy, or at least mild-mannered, around women. Especially around those of any gender who flirt with him.
Mannerisms
In conduct, Icarus is almost always polite, respectful, dignified, and well-spoken. He rarely goes in for vulgarities and can be relied upon to be a solid face for the Forgotten Fellowship, especially when the group forgoes the more sleazy yet charismatic silver tongue of their changeling companion.
Hobbies & Pets
The first and favored mount of the young cavalier was a mare named Ethilia. Named after the Goddess of Art and Fate, she was as graceful as her namesake. As such, when Icarus uses his divine magic to summon a steed for battle and travel, it's only natural he invokes the name of his old friend.
Alignment
Lawful Good
Species
Ethnicity
Other Ethnicities/Cultures
Age
25
Circumstances of Death
Some reports alleged Icarus perished in a maelstrom of betrayal and confusion in the depths of the Temple of the Seafarer.
Birthplace
Place of Death
Temple of the Seafarer (Allegedly)
Children
Pronouns
He/him
Sex
Male
Gender
Man
Eyes
Gold, they can glow during transformation
Hair
Short-medium, tousled, brown
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Light, slightly tanned
Height
6'4"
Weight
220 lbs
Belief/Deity
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
Related Reports